A GoPro Hero 3+ camera is seen at the Nasdaq Market Site before before GoPro Inc's IPO in New York City, June 26, 2014. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
Looks like Apple wants a slice of the wearable camera action, based on recently awarded patents. The US Patents and Trademarks Office today awarded the iPhone maker a series of 34 patents, including one that details a GoPro-like action camera system.
Apple's proposed invention would include a camera module, wireless communication systems, battery-operated power supply and a remote control. Based on drawings filed with the patent, the remote control module looks like a wrist-worn device, which displays the time and status indicators for battery and Wi-Fi levels. Presumably, the ocmpany's wearable camera would communicate with its upcoming Apple Watch.
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Filed in 2012, the patent also includes diagrams for a helmet mount and a bar mount for the digital camera, as well as some Kodak-branded material that the Cupertino company acquired in 2013. In its detailed description, Apple calls out action camera leader GoPro's HD Hero2 devices, saying the latter's single-camera setup could cause excessive wind resistance and could be more susceptible to damage and vibrations.
Even more impressive, parts of the patent indicate that the Apple system could record sound underwater in addition to dry land, making it superior to other devices on the market.
GoPro's stock has taken a nosedive, falling 15 percent in an afternoon since Apple's patent approval announcement. Apple has yet to make a statement about its potential action camera, and it's still not clear when -- or if -- the company intends to launch such a product.
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